Ko Wen-je talks colonialism, China

CULTURE GAP:The Taipei mayor said cross-strait cooperation is more important than discussing ‘unification’ in an online interview with ‘Foreign Policy’ magazine

By Abraham Gerber / Staff reporter

Asked about Ko’s colonization remarks, National Chengchi University Taiwanese History department professor Hsueh Hua-yuan (薛化元) said that imperialism in contemporary history often brought about systems and construction that are later utilized by the former colony.

It is hard to deny that colonists affected their former colonies and brought about the modernization of colonized areas, Hsueh said.

National Taipei University Department of Administration and Policy professor Hao Pei-chih (郝培芝) said that the comments reflect Ko’s experience and views that being law-abiding represents advancement.

What is left for the former colony depends largely on the colonizer, Hao said, referring to how most former French colonies remain less developed, while those of England and Japan were more developed.